Banner says changes, if any, will be the last for a while

Posted by Mike Florio on October 20, 2012, 2:11 PM EDT

AP

When former Eagles president Joe Banner joined PFT Live in June to discuss his departure from the team, it was clear that he had his sights set on joining another team. Specifically, he wanted a club that was in need of a “turnaround.”

Four months later, he has taken the wheel of one of the biggest reclamation projects in all of football. On Friday, he returned to PFT Live, three days after being announced as the new CEO of the Browns.

Banner made clear that both the coaching and G.M. positions will be addressed after the current season, which means that current G.M. Tom Heckert will remain firmly in charge of preparations for free agency and the draft. Banner’s remarks regarding Heckert also will be viewed as helping his chances of staying. Still, Banner made it clear that, regardless of titles and structures, he’ll be looking for the right mix of people to make the Browns consistently competitive.

Banner also said that, despite the various changes in offensive and defensive philosophy in recent years, more changes to the approaches on offense and defense and, in turn, the personnel could be coming. But if there’s another wave of changes, they will be the last changes for a while. The Browns under owner Jimmy Haslam plan to take a long-term view, finding people and principles they trust and sticking with them, in the hopes of establishing the kind of continuity every team needs in order to succeed.

35 responses to “Banner says changes, if any, will be the last for a while”

Heckert’s biggest challenge is figuring out what to do if the Chiefs and Jaguars finish with a worse record than the Browns. Barkley and Smith will both be good, but reaching for Wilson or Bray at that point seems a little far. Jarvis Jones could be great at that juncture too.

The Browns aren’t taking a QB, especially Barkley. Weeden is the real deal!

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Good. I’d like to see Barkley and Smith go to REAL NFL teams with real NFL fans, not the garbage that plays in Cleveland and sits in the stands. Weeden’s a joke, and Cleveland, once again, is too stupid to notice.

I might not be a browns fan. But if you ask me I think they need to keep Weeden and draft other needs. The have a great back in rich, just need to get play makers aroud them and possibly some front 7 help on Defense. It might take 2 years for them to be truly competitive in the division but if you look at the division it could be the battle of Ohio by then both Baltimore and Pittsburg are getting old specifically on the defensive side

the problem is the same for the Browns,Eagles Chargers Cowboys and any other fan base that wants new coaches. there is no GREAT coach sitting in the wings. you will have to take a GAMBLE with an unknown assistant or HOTSHOT college coach and maybe the devil you know may be better than the devil you don’t

What’s with the Cleveland hate? This is a solid young team with GREAT drafts under the Heckert regime. Weeden was a stretch at 27 but he’s proving he belongs in the NFL. (Don’t believe me? Just out the stats.) The Browns’ problems have been because of a crap owner who cared more about his soccer team than real football. I see good things for this team now that Haslam and Banner are in charge!

Wow, another front office change and talk about putting in people and sticking with them. That has been the problem with the Browns, not sticking with people. This franchise now has a new owner, and that will slow down the current rebuilding going on which has been heading in the right direction.

The uneducated comments make me laugh. Yep, 1-5 sucks, but if you actually WATCH or FOLLOW this team, they have improved every game! And as far as drafts and talent, check the roster from 3 years ago when Heckert came in and started drafting and had to basically gut the entire team. Now that was a bad roster!!! This team is vastly improved now compared to what it was. And they have 27 players on the team that are in their 1st or 2nd year, with rookies starting at key positions, RB, QB, RT, WR, DT, and LB. Has every player Heckert drafted been a good one? Nope, but even my dog could look at this team and know its much improved. Hate on the Browns all you want, but at least come with an informed opinion other than spouting the typical Cleveland hate. Just makes you sound like an idiot.

Shurmur and Heckert both worked in Philly w/ Banner. The players like Shurmur and are gaining confidence. They are young, they are competing internally and externally and and can only get better. Browns fans are seeing the future cut their teeth now and are competing against teams on the down slope. Pgh and Bmore are both old a and hurt on their Ds. Good luck covering Gordon but considering that its the Stillers i am sure a massive cheapshot will be delivered.

WOW ALOT OF CLEVELAND HATERS! LOL. PERSONALLY I THINK THE BROWNS ARE 1OR2 PLAYERS AWAY FROM BEING FOR REAL. ALITTLE HELP ON THE PASS RUSH AND A PLAY MAKING SAFETY ID SAY WOULD BE THE WAY TO GO. TRENT RICHSRDSON JOSH GORDON WEEDEN IS SOLID ENOUGH TO COMPETE.

For those of you morons that continue to say “Bill Cowher to the Browns? Blah, Rooney, Blah, Browns” forget a few things.

1) Bill loves that division
2) Bill is a former Browns player
3) Bill is a former Browns ST Coach

Lastly, keep Bill, I don’t want the Browns to have any sort of a guy that wants a bunch of control. A traditional GM, Coach, Assistants, & players under a President answering to an owner who wants to be involved (in other words, any moop not named Lerner) suits me just fine. Preferrably, we keep Heckert!

Wow. Marty Mornhinweg would really disappoint me. ‘why do you think that dude?

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This is not “why” I think Marty will join the Browns…..but before you get upset about the possibility of Mornhinweg, there was a good article written a while ago somewhere, google search it, that tried to find where the next great HC could come from. They looked at a lot of previous data of existing HCs, where they came from, their ages, what previous experience they had, etc. Apparently, Marty is the only viable candidate based off the data, based off the ‘requirements’.

I am as sick of losing football as anyone in Cleveland and I am more than willing to question the front office when deserved.

This is one of the first times in a LOOOOOOONG time that I am actually starting to see that things are going in the right direction. The biggest mistake that this team has made is the revolving door at quarterback. We have been so concerned with finding a quarterback that we have overlooked the supporting cast that is needed for ANY quarterback to succeed…a solid offensive line, a running game that makes other teams game plan for it, and receivers that require defenses to take another player out of the box. We are now getting those things and…big shocker, Weeden is starting to look like an NFL quarterback. Does he have lapses…sure. Do I think that he is going to be a Hall of Famer? No. Do I think that he can quarterback this football team for the next 5-8 years…YES. Have I been able to say that about any other quarterback that this team has had…NO!!!

First, Jimmy Haslam said he did his “due diligence” in selecting Joe Banner to replace Holmgren…

…that’s bull !

In several interviews in early June, Banner announced his intentions to create or join an investment group to buy a NFL franchise.

In those interviews, Banner stated what he wanted out of the deal…he wanted the other investors to allow “him” to run the team…thus the Pres/CEO position.

Banner was part of the deal…and Jimmy Haslam knew it…now he is trying to spin this as if he (Haslam) chose Banner after reviewing potential candidates…he did not !

Once the subject of Banner being part of the deal came up on message boards, Haslam gave an interview with the Plain Dealer, saying Banner “is not” invested in the team…

…well now that Banner has been give the job he wanted, there is no need for him to a member of the investment group, is there?

Whether Banner remained as one of the members of the investment group is not the issue…just as easily as Banner put his money in the pot, Haslam can take it out and say, ok, you got the job.

In a June 10, 2012 Phillies.com article by Jonathan Tamari, the first paragraph says…”Banner said he hopes to put together an investment group that can buy a struggling franchise, with partners who will allow him to run the team”

The point is, Browns fans are already getting played by the new owner and the guy he was forced to hire as Pres/CEO, Joe Banner.

What many fans fail to understand, the Browns under Holmgren and Heckert were just over half way through the 5 year rebuilding plan they started in 2010. There are two years to go in that rebuilding plan, which happens to be patterned after the Steelers rebuilding plan of the early 70s, under Dan Rooney, his father Art and Chuck Noll.

If Banner and Haslam stay the course, the Browns should be challenging for the playoffs in two seasons (2014).

Those who like to point to the Browns record of 10-28 under Holmgren as evidence he needed to go…do you know what Chuck Noll’s record was after 3 yrs of rebuilding the Steelers?…13-30..nearly identical in winning percentage.

Again, Chuck Noll’s 3 yr record at the completion of his 3rd yr of the Steelers rebuild, was 13 wins and 30 losses.

Teams committed to a complete rebuild of their roster, via the draft, do not win for the first 3 yrs.

Can Banner and Haslam put their EGOES aside and continue the rebuilding plan started by Holmgren and Heckert in 2010….I have serious doubts that they can because Holmgren and Heckert might get part of the credit when the Browns turn it around.

In the presser where Haslam introduced Banner as the new Pres/CEO, Haslam commented that if the Browns are not winners in 5 years, people can blame him…it’s obvious that Haslam and Banner have already decided to tear this franchise apart.

Don’t believe the hype coming from Banner and Haslam…they are simply stringing the public along until they make the claim…they had to start a new 5 yr plan…just look at the teams record.

What I find “ironic” , Mr Haslam told everyone about how much he learned from the Steelers in his 3 yrs as their minority owner…does Haslam know what the Steelers record was after 3 yrs under the rebuild plan started by Art and Dan Rooney and Chuck Noll in 1969 ?

Forget about Andy Reid. He’s the one who got Banner pushed out of Philly. Forget about Cowher and Gruden too. I don’t want a coach that has to be coaxed out of a cushy gig in a broadcast booth or network studio. I’d rather go with Casey Bradley, and hopefully he could bring Brandon Browner with him. I hope Banner and Heckert can find a way to co exist, Heckert has done a good job turning an old and slow team into a younger and faster one. The defensive line is solid and gaining depth. The offensive line while much maligned, has drastically cut down on sacks. Weeden will be just fine. They found a steal in Josh Gordon. Good things lie ahead. This team does not need an overhaul.